A simple tool can help patients share their biggest concerns.

Doctors don’t get a lot of time with their patients—often as little as 15 minutes. With such a limited visit, it can be hard for clinicians to come up with a patient-focused agenda. So how can physicians be as productive and efficient as possible, while still eliciting the concerns and needs of their patients?

If patients walked into the exam room armed with their five greatest concerns or goals to present to their doctors, it would make a huge difference in understanding why a patient has come in for a visit and what the patient hopes to achieve. To make that happen, pre-visit triage assessments could include a laminated flipbook that prompts patients to consider and write down what they’re worried about before they meet with a care provider. Then, patients and doctors could quickly address patient concerns efficiently and directly, without cutting into appointment time. With this reusable tool, clinicians can quickly evaluate and treat patients with the patient’s needs in mind.